Thomas v. State

David Matthew Thomas appeals the circuit court's summary denial of his Rule 32, Ala.R.Crim.P., petition for postconviction relief, in which he attacked his 1984 conviction for robbery in the first degree and his resulting sentence of life imprisonment. This Court affirmed Thomas's conviction and sentence on direct appeal. See Thomas v. State, 494 So.2d 840 (Ala.Crim.App. 1986).

Thomas filed the present petition, his second, on October 22, 2003. In his petition, Thomas alleged that his conviction and sentence should be vacated because, he said, he was not competent to stand trial. After…